Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

Thursday, April 16, 2009

So Long, Oscar

Filed under: Sports and Athletics — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 00:31

oscar1.jpgLongtime boxer and founder of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya announced Tuesday he is retiring from the sport. I’ve always admired De La Hoya for his athleticism, but more importantly, his down-to-earth personality,  integrity, and unwillingness to sink to his opponents’ often unsportsmanlike behavior and antics. Fans got an intimate portrayal of Oscar the boxer and person in the last season of HBO’s  24/7, which followed the Golden Boy as he prepared for his fight against Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather showed his disrespect and arrogant attitude by continuously demeaning Oscar both personally and publicly; but De La Hoya never brought himself down to Mayweather’s level.

Unfortunately, he lost that fight in a very close and drawn-out battle. Oscar De La Hoya has won 10 world titles in 6 divisions. But more recently, Oscar has seen his performance decline. He has lost 4 of his last 7 fights and hasn’t beaten a top-contender since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Said De La Hoya, “This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do. When I can’t do it anymore, when I can’t compete at the highest level, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to the fans, it’s not fair to nobody.” In the end, Oscar’s wife helped him make his decision, saying she made him “realize what life is all about.” Oscar De La Hoya will be missed. But I am sure his promotions company will continue to make an impact on the sport of boxing for some time to come.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

UCF Basketball Lands Michael Jordan’s Son

Filed under: UCF Sports — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 20:23

newucflogoblack.jpgUCF Basketball is about ready to gain quite a bit of notoriety and spotlight. Marcus Jordan, son of legendary Basketball player Michael Jordan, has committed to the Knights. According to the Orlando Sentinel: “He made his decision based on two criteria,” said Tyrone Slaughter, Jordan’s coach at Whitney Young High in Chicago. “One was the ability to go in and make an immediate impact. He wanted to go in and have an opportunity to play right away at the collegiate level. Secondly, if it was place that he went to on a visit would immediately appeal to him. He immediately felt comfortable during his visit to UCF.” Jordan, a 6-foot-2 and 180-pound senior, made his decision one week after visiting UCF. He is best friends with UCF freshman point guard A.J. Rompza, who played at Whitney Young last season with Jordan. Welcome to UCF Marcus! We look-forward to yout tenure as a Knight!

An Amazing “Ball”

Filed under: Performing Arts,Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 20:14

ladygagathefame.jpgMonday night saw the arrival of Lady GaGa’s World Fame Ball to the House of Blues in Orlando. The show was absolutely incredible and the sold-out crowd was electric! And the three opening acts (Cinema Bazarre, Chester French, and The White Tie Affair) put on a great performance of their own. If you missed this show, you really missed out! And the critics praised Lady GaGa’s performance as well! To read Nick Masuda’s review of World Fame Ball, click this URL:

 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/orl-lady-gaga-review-040609,0,337083.story

Friday, April 3, 2009

Iowa Supreme Court Sides with Equality

Filed under: American Life and Society,GLBT Social Issues and Civil Rights — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 23:25

Today, the Iowa State Supreme Court ruled that outlawing gay and lesbian marriage was unconstitutional within the state. The ruling was unanimous. According to the Court:

“In a unanimous decision, the Iowa Supreme Court today held that the Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.  The decision strikes the language from Iowa Code section 595.2 limiting civil marriage to a man and a woman.  It further directs that the remaining statutory language be interpreted and applied in a manner allowing gay and lesbian people full access to the institution of civil marriage.   Today’s ruling resolves an action brought by six same-sex couples who were refused marriage licenses by the Polk County Recorder.  Except for the statutory restriction that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the twelve plaintiffs met the legal requirements to marry in Iowa. ”

Moron (and of course, Republican) representatives in Iowa now say they will fight the ruling by trying to pass a disgusting and bigoted anti-marriage amendment to the state’s Constitution similar to the one ignorant and bigoted Floridians passed back in November. But Democrat Matt McCoy (who is openly gay) said Iowa will not turn back the clock on civil rights for gay citizens and Democrats (who hold the majority in Iowa’s House and Senate) will fight the Republicans head-on to ensure equality for all Iowans remains. Here is McCoy’s video press release from today:

Lady GaGa is An “American Idol”

Filed under: Performing Arts,Popular Music — Dr. Christopher Blackwell @ 03:17

I am not a fan of American Idol so naturally, I didn’t know the emerging pop sensation Lady GaGa performed last night on the show. Her current release “Poker Face” from her album The Fame is the #1 song in America right now and her performance on Idol was pretty cool. GaGa performed half of the song acoustically while playing the piano and then completed the second half of the song in the more synth-pop version of the single. Lady GaGa has tremendous talent. In addition to writing all of her own music and lyrics, she refuses to lip-synche during live performances (despite the vigorous demands of her choreography). Watching this video definitely made me even more excited for Monday’s World Fame Ball, which many of us are going to see here at House of Blues in Orlando. Here’s the clip:

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